Enrollment at the Peak! One Sentence Leaves the Chairman Speechless!

Mage-Knights, or Blazers.

They were powerful individuals capable of turning their souls into weapons and wielding all manner of supernatural abilities.

Based on the many abilities displayed by knights, the International League had established detailed classifications for various attributes.

The rankings descended from A to F, with S-rank as the sole exception.

It not only represented power beyond A-rank, but also meant the upper limit of one's ability could no longer be accurately measured by existing means.

At that moment, Kurono Shinguuji stared unblinkingly at her computer screen, as focused as if she had discovered an unparalleled treasure.

The test results were flawless—better even than Stella, the princess standing beside her.

Was this one of this year's new students?

No matter what, she had to recruit him into Hagun Academy!

However, Kurono Shinguuji soon noticed something amiss.

Kashu Animusphere. It was obviously a foreign name.

But no country would be foolish enough to voluntarily give up an A-rank knight.

If the Vermillion Kingdom had not been unable to find a Mage-Knight stronger than Stella, and if the princess herself had not possessed an extraordinary obsession with growing stronger...

Along with some of her personal connections, there would otherwise have been no chance of poaching such a powerful asset.

"An A-rank knight without a nationality?"

Kurono Shinguuji took a deep drag from her cigarette. The pleasure brought by the nicotine made her reach a decision at once, and she raised a hand to press the mobile terminal on her desk.

"Have this new student come to the chairman's office. There are some questions I need to ask him first."

[Understood. We'll arrange it immediately.]

After ending the call, Kurono Shinguuji looked up at the curious Stella and explained with a smile.

"Princess, please wait a little longer. Perhaps we've found a teammate who can keep up with you."

Stella's eyes lit up. "An A-rank knight?"

Kurono Shinguuji nodded proudly. "An A-rank knight!"

Before long, Kashu was led into the chairman's office by a staff member.

The first person he saw upon entering was Stella, standing in the center of the room.

She wore Hagun's distinctive black-and-white girls' uniform, and her long crimson hair, as dazzling as flames, was impossible to miss.

Her eyes of the same color brimmed with fighting spirit. She stood tall and gallant, like a Valkyrie stepped straight out of Norse mythology.

Kashu had already learned her name and appearance from the morning news, but only after meeting her in person did he truly realize—

This princess was indeed strong.

Kurono Shinguuji, seated in her office chair, flicked away some ash and beckoned to him.

"Animusphere, don't be nervous. Take a seat wherever you like."

"Since you're a rare A-rank knight, I'd like to ask you a few questions on behalf of the academy. Is that all right?"

Kashu calmly took a seat on the sofa to the left and nodded.

"Of course. Go ahead."

Kurono Shinguuji studied his face carefully, her eyes full of confusion.

"Where are you from, Animusphere?"

"Leaving your nationality blank won't affect your enrollment at Hagun Academy, but I wouldn't want to admit someone from the Rebel Army."

The Rebel Army?

Kashu calmly looked at the stern chairman, his tone peculiar.

"That's rather direct, isn't it? Then, Chairman, do you think I'm with the Rebel Army?"

"No!"

Kurono Shinguuji folded her hands beneath her chin and firmly contradicted what she had just said.

"The Rebel Army has always been suppressed by the International League. They were never much of a force to begin with."

"If they had an A-rank knight among them, they'd never be willing to send him out as a spy—much less send him to Hagun Academy as a spy."

Her words were somewhat self-deprecating, but given Hagun Academy's current state, it truly was not worth anyone's attention.

Kashu nodded in agreement. "That makes perfect sense. Do you have any other questions?"

Kurono Shinguuji's eyes were full of curiosity. "Naturally. For example—"

"What is your Device? Which category does it belong to?"

A Device was the formal term for the weapon a Blazer created by transforming their soul.

Categories were broad classifications used to distinguish Blazers with different abilities. There were four in total.

Physical enhancement types were Blazers who simply used their abilities to strengthen their bodily functions, fighting with physiques beyond ordinary humans.

Natural interference types were Blazers who could manipulate elemental energies such as wind, fire, lightning, and electricity, wielding the might of heaven and earth.

Conceptual interference types and causality interference types were Blazers whose abilities directly affected certain concepts or causality. Their numbers were exceedingly small.

Kashu raised a hand and summoned his platinum longsword. Air currents gradually gathered around it, while he casually lied without even blinking.

"This is my Device. The admissions team gave it the codename Elemental Dragon."

"My ability belongs to the natural interference category. It isn't limited to storms—I can also manipulate flames, lightning, and water."

Stella, who had silently listened to their conversation, suddenly lit up and cried out.

"You're a natural interference type too?"

"Too?"

Hearing Stella's exclamation, Kashu looked her over with a strange expression. Then he smacked his lips but did not refute her.

Kurono Shinguuji clasped her hands together, maintaining a pose identical to Commander Ikari's as she muttered to herself.

"A natural interference type capable of controlling multiple elements, and A-rank at that..."

"Get him! We have to get him! No matter what, we have to get him!"

A bead of cold sweat slid down Stella's forehead as she softly reminded her.

"Um... Chairman, I think you accidentally said that out loud."

Kurono Shinguuji slapped both hands on her desk and rose to her feet, undisguised delight on her face as she looked at the two of them.

"You two, as Hagun's chairman, I once again welcome you to the academy on its behalf. Let us achieve outstanding results at this year's Seven Stars Sword-Art Festival!"

Stella nodded with complete confidence. "No problem. I'm aiming for the championship!"

Kashu casually waved a hand and voiced the question he had been holding back.

"So Stella and I have already been confirmed as main representatives, right? Then who are the other members?"

"The other members?"

Kurono Shinguuji hesitated slightly, then remembered that Kashu knew nothing about Hagun Academy and began explaining.

"In the past, Hagun Academy's selections were handled by a committee. I won't go into the ugly details with you here."

"For this year's representative selection tournament, I intend to use a selection system based entirely on actual combat."

"Actual combat?" ×2

Kurono Shinguuji then explained her proposed academy-wide combat selection format to Kashu and Stella.

It would be a single-elimination tournament involving the entire academy. Losers would be eliminated immediately, and all matchups would be determined by random computer draws.

Stella was visibly excited after hearing this, as though she could not wait to battle powerful fellow students.

Kashu, however, furrowed his brow, and the way he looked at Kurono Shinguuji gradually changed.

"Chairman, I'm a blunt person, so don't take this the wrong way."

"Did you actually put any thought into this?"

At Kashu's mockery, Kurono Shinguuji's previously cheerful expression darkened, and a restrained surge of magical pressure descended.

"Animusphere, what do you mean by that?"

"You're actually asking what I mean..."

Kashu gave a bitter smile and rubbed his temple, feeling a slight headache.

He became even more certain that she had never been involved in administration before. Otherwise, she would never have come up with such a ridiculous competition format.

"If you want good results at the Seven Stars Sword-Art Festival, what kind of elite can a tournament without even multiple rounds select?"

"Let me give you an example. If Stella and I face each other early on, are you planning to eliminate one of us according to the rules?"

"Even if we're Hagun Academy's only two A-rank knights?"

Kurono Shinguuji's expression froze instantly, as though someone had dumped a bucket of cold water over her head. The indignation in her eyes was swiftly replaced by shock and disbelief.

Stella's eyes widened as well. She had clearly realized the fatal flaw, and the excitement on her face faded into a hint of helpless confusion.

The air seemed to freeze at that moment, and an eerie silence fell over the chairman's office.

Kurono Shinguuji opened her mouth as if she wanted to argue, yet she could not say a single word.

Kashu calmly watched her, waiting for an answer. There was a trace of amusement in his gaze, as though he had long anticipated her current predicament.

"Well then, Chairman."

Kashu was the first to break the silence, a confident curve forming at the corner of his lips.

"Do you have any new ideas now regarding such a crude selection system?"

"Or do you intend to stubbornly insist on your own way and personally bury Hagun Academy's only chance this year?"